


Helen

by TheLockPickingVictorian



Category: The Matrix (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-01-18 01:28:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1409938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLockPickingVictorian/pseuds/TheLockPickingVictorian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You okay?"<br/>"Sure. I just can't remember the last time the Oracle wanted to talk to me, you know, alone. The last two times, it's been nothing but bad news."<br/>"Well you know what that means. 'Third times the charm.'"<br/>"Yeah sure, Neo. I'll believe that when I see it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A visit... and a cookie

**Author's Note:**

> Righty-o. I'm not too sure on this. But then, this is the first time I've written in the first person. Not to sure if Trin's in character or not, but then, I don't think anyone's going to be reading this, so that's fine by me, I suppose. 
> 
> This is far too long for something for me to have written, and I've been working on this for AGES, and I had to get this idea out SOMEHOW! 
> 
> TLPV Xx

“You should come in, child; it may put your mind at rest.” The Oracle called to me from her kitchen. She was standing, as I had expected, by her glowing cooker; what I _hadn’t_ predicted however, was the cake tin that she held, she rather than the customary tray of cookies I had expected to have shoved in my face the moment she saw me. The small smile on her face was all joy, with no hint of sadness, but her dark eyes betrayed her, overflowing with the most intense grief. I tried not to imagine the future she had seen to put it there, and internally flinched at the idea that it could possibly have been my future she was seeing. “We may not have long before the real world calls you back.”

I stepped forward from where I had been loitering in the hallway before she had been caught me - or perhaps she had always known I was there - pushing the beaded curtain out of the way with my hand, assuring that none would hit me in the face as I entered the room. As I dropped the beads back into place behind me, I straightened the sunglasses covering my blue eyes, and tucked my hands behind my back, out of the way. My dark hair had grown below my jaw line, mimicking my real hair that was getting far too long for my tastes and now tiggled at my neck where it curled, un-gelled. The Oracle chuckled at the hesitancy in my steps, and I was far too proud to admit even to myself that it bothered me.

“Come in, come in,” She ushered, waving her oven gloves at me. “Why don’t you take a seat, Trinity?”

I rolled my eyes behind my glasses, and swung myself up into my normal seat in the Oracle’s kitchen, whenever I chose to sit. Perching on the counter top, I tilted my head at the old woman and waited for her to speak. She didn’t – rather she placed her cake down on the side next to me, and turned to switch off and open the oven and pull – _ah_ , the batch of cookies I had been anticipating, from the very bottom shelf. Chocolate fudge, I noticed, sniffing at the fragranced air, not caring if she saw me or not. She used the same recipe as the ones from my childhood memories, and she knew my weakness for them, which was no doubt the reason she had made them.

It was times like these I missed the Matrix.

“Careful,” She warned as I plied on of the paler cookies from the offered tray with my now bare hands, my black gloves resting in the cross of my legs. “They’re still hot.” I hooked my sunglasses around one pinkie finger and tugged them off swiftly, fixing her with a _very_ unimpressed glare, snapping my cookie in two as I did. She batted the air in front of me, laughing gently and I stuck a fraction of the cookie against my tongue, leaning back again, resting my head on the cupboard behind me that hung from the wall. “Oh, come now, you don’t intimidate me.”

“Why am I here?” I hummed, chewing at another snapped-off piece of cookie. “And why did you make me come alone?”

“Because I need to talk to you alone.” She told me, pulling her chair up so she could sit opposite me, and she set the cookies on the cooling rack on the table. Going against what I expected yet again, she did not sit in the seat she had arranged, instead fishing a glass from one of her cupboards and filling it with cold water from the tap. “I have something to tell you - Something that will change the way you view everything, and that you can not, no matter what, you _can not_ tell Neo.” I nodded, watching her sit down opposite me. I split another bite of the cookie with my back teeth, melted fudge spilling out and over my tongue, burning hotly on the soft muscle.

“Shit!” I muffled my shocked yell by clamping my lips together tightly, pressing the back of my fist over them. The Oracle calmly offered the glass of water to me, and I snatched it from her, grateful and impatient. ”Thanks.” I felt compelled to add, sipping gently. With the burn subdued, not gone but something I could deal with, I handed the glass back.

“You knew I was going to do that, didn’t you?” I asked, setting the last of my cookie aside, not particularly fancying a repeat experience. She nodded gently, draining the glass and setting it in the empty sink.

“I did warn you they where hot.” She shrugged, sliding the cake beside me out of its tin and onto a plate, which she tucked into the fridge. “Sorry. It’s my youngest’s birthday tomorrow. Apparently all baking duties are mine.” I nodded, uninterested. I cleared my throat and her eyes rose to mine. “Something wrong honey?” I huffed unhappily, not one for pet names.

“Why am I here?” I repeated more forcefully, crossing my arms across my chest, wobbling slightly in my awkward position. The Oracle sighed, her eyes downcast, as she sat back down in the seat opposite me again, her hand folded in her lap. She looked up at me.

“I have seen something, something that I believe that, while you’ll regret hearing it, you deserve to know, and you will regret it if you don’t hear it.” The muscle in my cheek flexed involuntarily at bad news, so it seemed. It _had_ been my future she’d seen. Fantastic.

“What did you see?” I asked, the words burning as they left my lips. I had no idea if I actually wanted to know at all – I felt sick to my stomach.

“Death.” She told me seriously, folding her hands in her lap. “One of you will die. And you know that I’m not allowed to tell you who.”

I lent my head back against the cupboards behind me again, the sickly feeling increasing tenfold. Me, Neo or Morpheus. Confused as I was as to why she was telling me, I understood now why she’d wanted to speak to me alone; if the three of us all knew, none of us would trust anything the others told them to do, paranoid that they would attempt to sacrifice themselves for the rest of us. Her telling me now might as well of been her signing my death certificate.

“How?” I croaked, slipping my sunglasses back on to hide behind the dark lenses. I had long since been able to control the expressions on my face, but my eyes where a different matter completely. _They’re only human part left of you_ , Switch had laughed at me once, jokingly, and I’d closed them, refusing to show her just how true that statement was.

“The humans still trapped within the Matrix, the ‘blue pills’ as you call them, are being attacked by a rogue program.” She told me instead, watching my face for any hint of emotions. She would get none; I would make sure of that. “There are two ways to stop him.” I nodded in understanding, ready to hear whatever she would say. “You can attempt to persuade the sister program of the Merovingian’s wife to destroy it, or, the other option is to let Neo destroy it.”

“Why do I get the feeling that that would be a mistake?” I asked.

“Because it would be.” She closed her eyes momentarily, as if batting away moisture. She old lady was remarkably fond of Neo, for someone who kept giving him such terrible news. “It is a very old program, Trinity, and can only be destroyed by another program. If Neo tries, it will destroy him. And you _must_ stop that from happening.” I nodded again, understanding, dreading.

“The Merovingian’s wife’s sister?” I repeated. The image of the beautiful brunette woman that my mind supplied me with irritated me beyond belief, as did the woman herself, and I was weary of a duplicate. Mrs. Perfect could shove her head in a blender, for all I cared.

“Yes - she goes by the name of Helen.” I snorted, my lips pulling up slightly as I stared her down.

“Helen? Helen and Persephone?” I clicked my tongue in amusement, rolling my eyes behind the sunglasses. “I think someone may have had an unhealthy obsession with Greek mythology.”

The Oracle laughed at me. A loud happy laugh as her face spread into an even larger smile which, in turn, spread all the way up to her dark eyes. I stared at her, perplexed, trying to remember if I had ever laughed like that in my life, real or imaginary, or if I’d at least ever heard anyone laugh with such glee before, out in the hell we called home. I came up negative on both accounts.

“Oh Trinity,” She gasped eventually, her hand reaching for mine. My skin appeared nearly translucent next to her’s, which burnt with a warmth that I had never possessed. Morpheus did, Neo did, so did Link and Cas and Zee and Kid and Niobe and Councillor Hamann. Even Switch, Apoc, Tank, Dozer, Mouse and even goddamn _Cypher_ had held that warmth when they where alive. It was just me, all alone in my cold little world. It was no wonder people had been calling me _the ice queen_ for years. “I forget sometimes what a fantastic sense of sarcastic humour you have!” The Oracle continued, and my eyes snapped to her’s. I snatched my hand from her’s.

“Thanks.” I said dully.

Still chuckling, she held a piece of paper out to me, atop a second cookie. I accepted both, unfolding the paper singlehanded as I set the cookie down beside the unfinished remains of my first. I snapped the small remaining piece in half, nibbling on it as I raised my eyes back to the older woman. “What’s this?”

“You’ll need it in a moment.” She hummed thoughtfully. “Nothing helps cure negative emotions like something sweet, and you will be finished with your first one by the time you’ll need it.” I froze the movement of my jaw and tilted my chin down to my chest, glaring at her over the top of my glasses. She grinned.

“Not the cookie. The instructions.”

“Oh those,” She waved a hand at me, as if she’d forgotten that she’d given it to me. “They will lead you to the Merovingian. He will of course be with Persephone, who will eventually lead you to Helen. After that, it’s up to you who will die.” She said it so casually that I had to nod, choosing to ignore the last part as I slipped the refolded paper into the bust of my black cat suit, where I knew I wouldn’t loose it. “I feel like I should warn you though, Trinity…” She trailed off, and my hand faltered on the zip of my suit.

“Warn me?” I asked through a mouthful of cookie and a clouded mind, as my hands fell into my lap. “Warn me about what?”

“Helen.” The Oracle wrung her hands together, and her eyes wouldn’t meet mine. “She will be… enamoured… with Neo.” I swallowed, blinking at her. _Enamoured_? With Neo? Shit. I sunk my front teeth down into my tongue, counting to ten as my vision blurred before I let it go; the chocolate fudge aftertaste giving way to the taste of my blood.

“Like sister, like… well sister, I suppose.” I volunteered, shrugging one shoulder. I reached blindly for the remains of my cookie but my hand slipped across the empty garnet tabletop. She was right, I had finished my first, I realised as I reached for my second. “And um… how do we… how can we convince Helen to help us?” I got out eventually, breathing deep through my nose and gripping my shaking hands together.

“Is that really the question you want to ask, Trinity?” She asked back, resting a gentle hand on my knee. I shook my head at her, grounding my back teeth together.

“No.” I whispered harshly, my voice cracking. “But to ask anything else would be selfish, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah, forget about selfish, kid. Neo choose you over the entire Zion population; being selfish is hardly something you have to worry about.” She rolled her eyes at me again. My eyes widened as shock settled in with her words. “You’ll have to ask him about that, it’s hardly my placed to tell you.” I shrugged, covering my mouth with my fist, biting down on my index finger. “Go on darling. Ask away.” I shook my head.

“I don’t know if I want to know.” I whimpered. My stomach twisted within me, as I was somehow certain, not that I knew how I was, that I was completely justified in fearing the worst. She tugged at my hand until I slipped off of the countertop and fell into the chair opposite where her’s had been originally. She turned back to face me again, finally at the same height as me and pulled my sunglasses off me again. She held my hands tightly, warming them, as she wiped at the tear tracks I was ignoring the best I could. Squashing down the sudden desire to pull away and flee the house, the city, _the Matrix_ , I reached up to pinch the bridge of my nose, my eyes blurring instantly again. I forced the lump from my throat.

“Tell me.” I whispered, staring down at my gloves on the floor. I had hoped it would come out like an order, how I _normally_ sounded when I was inside the Matrix. Instead, I sounded exactly as I felt. I sounded scared. “Will he love her back?

“Something tells me, Sweetie, that you already know the answer to that.” Her words, no matter how softly, reminded me of shrapnel; piercing but dull, forcing me to bleed out and bare the pain. “Would you be crying if you thought I would give you a negative answer?”

My neck weakened suddenly and my head lulled forward, my heart disintegrating in my chest. I gripped down on her hands, my pale knuckles aching at my grip. I needed to find someone to punch, I decided batting another tear from my eyelashes, before I hurt the old woman who had given me so much. With each deep breath I took, the Oracle’s hands stroking across my spine lightly, I flicked the tears from my face, expelling the idea from my mind the way Ghost had taught me, the world began to centre itself. Suddenly unable to sit still, I bound to my feet and began to pace the small room. I turned back to the Oracle on my third lap.

“How long?

“Until you have to choose who dies?” Her eyes met mine, dancing around the issue. “27 hours.”

 _27 hours?_ I starred up at the clock – that gave me until 5pm tomorrow. I had no idea what I had been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been that. More time? Days? Years? Sure, I’d been hoping, it would have been fantastic, but this was my life and nothing was ever as I expected it to be. The muscles of my abdomen contracted with a sudden stabbing pain and I doubled over, crying out in a humiliating yelp of panic and pain, my nearly green hands wrapping themselves around my midriff. I staggered to the sink and leaned over it, cautious of my rebelling stomach, the Oracle’s rubbed softly at my back again. The whole situation reminded me of the first time I’d visited the Oracle. And every time I’d visited her since.

“ _Ah, Crap!_ ”

We turned, both the Oracle and I, to face the intruder. Neo stood, halfway between facing us and the wobbling curtain of beads, one of his hands clasped over one of his eyes. He winced at us as he drew it away, the white of his right eye turning slightly red. “I always forget that’s there.” He shrugged.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, the One.

“Hello Neo.” The Oracle smiled at him, waving a hand at him to beckon him in. “Do come in.” She added, knowing how clueless he could be at times.

“Sorry.” He offered her a smile, stepping closer. “Morpheus asked me to check if you where done. We’re pressed for time app- Trin? You okay?” He asked, stepping closer to me as he finally noticed me. I nodded, straightening, glad that I’d managed to kept my face tear-free. I wasn’t so sure about the colour of my face though, if I was red, green or translucent. It didn’t matter much, I supposed.

“Sure. You know what having these talks with our favourite fortune teller can do to a person.” I dropped down to my knees to scoop my gloves off of the floor, avoiding his eyes as I turned to the Oracle. “Are we done?”

“I believe so.” She told me, handing me back my glasses. “Good luck.” I slipped them back over my eyes again and pulled my gloves over my cold hands. I gave her a short nod, snatched the offered cookie from her grip and turned to walk past Neo. I was halfway down the hall, having ducked under the beads, and tucking into my cookie when he caught up with me, his hand grasping at my elbow.

“Trin? What’s up? What did she say?” His hand tightened and he tugged gently, pulling me closer.

“It doesn’t matter. She just scrambled my brain a bit and I’m completely in over my head, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. You know what it’s like talking to the woman.” I looked up at him, gulping down the nausea. His eyes where always the most fantastic brown, always so loving, and to imagine that could one day, quite soon I was sure, it would be gone… my stomach rebelled against the two-and-a-bit cookies I’d eaten my way through and I shoved the remaining of the third into Neo’s warm hands. He clasped at it and I turned my back on him, batting away tears.

“Trinity!” He snapped, clasping a hand down on my shoulder this time. I turned back.

“What?” I demanded in the same tone, dropping my hands down to my hips, a snarl sounding in my voice that hadn’t been in his. It was far easier to be pissed off at him than it was to be totally smitten with him - I’d worked that out ages ago.

“What happened?”

“Just got some information on what I suppose will be our next mission: apparently we’ve got a rogue program on the loose, killing coppertops when and how he pleases.” I dropped my arms to my sides, my internal organs twisting themselves together. Poor Neo. He was probably so confused, lost without understanding a word I was saying - as well as what I refused to say; he could have so much on his shoulders at times. “We have to talk to the Merovingian’s wife’s sist- _Oh Goddamn it!_ ”

“What?!” He hollered, panicking. I pulled the paper slip out of my suit again and handed it over to him, not bothering to re-zip it back up, it was only Neo, after all. “Trinity? What’s this?”

“Instructions on how to find the Merovingian. Persephone will be with him apparently. And she can give us the ways and means to delete the rogue.” I slipped under his arm, keeping my body as far away from his as possible as I could while I stared at the words on the page.

_Hotel Le Meurice_   
_229 Rue de Rivoli_   
_75001 Paris, France_   
_16:15_

“Well, I suppose we know where we’re going next.” He laughed against my hair, his eyes burning into the back of my head. I pushed out of his grip, my stomach flipping abnormally fast as my heart clenched simultaneously. The sudden sickness had returned. I started towards the door.

“Uh, Trin?” Neo called from behind me. He mimed pulling a zip up his front when I looked back at him, then pointed at my chest quickly. “You might want to… yah know. Zip?” I rolled my eyes, but pulled it up anyway.

“I don’t need you to tell me to dress myself Neo.” I snapped. “What did you think I was going to do, go in there and give Morpheus and anyone else who’s there a show? I’m not stupid!”

His palms went up and out, as if he was defending himself from my words like they where the bullets that he stopped on a daily biases. His eyebrows drew together and his mouth pulled down; I refused to check his eyes because I already knew how dark they would be if I had the courage too.

“Sorry.” He whispered, stepping closer. His hands settled on my waist and he tugged, pulling me into him; he nestled his head in the crook of my neck, and brushed his lips over the skin of my throat, teeth snagging my exposed jugular vein. “I suppose I don’t like the idea of sharing you.” I shifted, wrapping my arms around his waist under his long coat and leaning into his warmth, ignoring the suffocating panic that told me the safety that accompanied Neo’s love would not be mine for very much longer. “You’re mine, Trinity.” I pinched him sharply. _Yes, I am, always_ , I thought as my throat closed up uncomfortably, _but I wish I could kid myself that you would always be mine as well._

_Something tells me you won’t be for very much longer._

“I am no-one’s, least of all yours.” I chuckled instead, dropping my head forward onto his shoulder, refusing to let the pain in my knotting stomach seep into my manner.

“Whatever you say, Trin.” He laughed gently into my ear. “Come on we have to talk to Morpheus - before we give Link a show.” He untangled himself from me and started towards the living room, where Morpheus was waiting for us. He caught my hand in his as I jogged to catch up with his large strides. Damn tall people.

“That’s my line.” I grumbled, falling into step beside him easily.


	2. Unplugged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ai-Ai-Ai!  
> Well since I never expected to post the frist chapter, let alone get reviews on it (Okay, A review, but it made me smile anyway) I never expected to post this terrible second part, but I couldn't just LEAVE it. I Hate unfinished things. So I should hopefully see this through to the end. This should hopefully clear up any timelining issues anyone has. Apologies in advance.
> 
> A big thank you to MacBeth13, forsaid review xx

The Nebuchadnezzar _mark II_ was always freezing, just like its predecessor, but the second-in-command’s quarters where by far warmer than the other cabins in the hovercraft, being directly next to the boiler room. The captain’s room was on the opposite side of the boiler room, because the genius designers had decided that warmer commanding officers would clearly make the crew more efficient. The morons. But still, I remembered the one night that we’d tried sleeping in Neo’s cold room and not only had we nearly frozen to death, but we’d seriously underestimated the size of the smaller bed and I’d woken up well and truly squashed under Neo’s heavier weight. We’d migrated to my larger, warmer room and had never given thought to returning since.

My dark hair dripped cold water onto my warmed skin and I dropped my thick towel onto the floor, wiping the cover of dust off the mirror. The hot water in the pipes in the walls left over from my shower heated the room, as did the heat already in my skin from the warm water, so standing unclothed for a small period of time would be bearable. After that, I had to be careful that i wouldn't freeze to death.

My pale body was still littered with even paler scars that I was sure would never disappear, only fade after many years, left over from the many – _three_ _at least_ , judging by the patches that littered my stomach, arms and chest - polls that had pierced my body almost a year ago; the Logos crash had killed me – and effectively ended the war. The Oracle had made sure to tell me since that the war would never have ended if I had still been alive, that Neo would not have been able to do what he had had to do if I had still been alive. The machine’s peace offering had to been to deliver Neo back to Zion, his sight returned to him, alive. And he’d led them to me, so I’d heard - and it was surprising just how many people I’d had to remind that I had no idea what had actually transpired, being dead and all - and Zion’s advanced medics had taken care of me. It was four months after I’d woken up, already itching to get going, that they’d allowed me back in the Matrix, supervised, and an extra three months before they’d let me out of the hospital. In my eighth month, they’d given me the all clear, and my well timed comment of _It takes longer to make a human than it does to bring one back from the dead_ had had Neo in some odd juncture between giggles and sobs for hours after. We’d bickered playfully over the statement all the way home.

I stared at the scars. They weren’t my first scars, not by a long shot, but they where defiantly my ugliest. My other scars reminded me I was still alive. These one just reminded me that I had died.

And worse: They reminded Neo that I had died.

I caught him sometimes, when he thought I was asleep or not looking, staring at the scars like they haunted him. He would often run his gentle fingers over them when he swaddled me up tightly in between our thin blankets and his warm arms; more often than not paying explicit attention to the larger ones on my abdomen which had taken my life, and told me repeatedly told me that they could never change how beautiful I was, that he was glad to have his sight back, if only because he could see me again, and that he loved me more than anything. I used to believe him. I wished I still could.

I scooped my hairbrush off of the bed and ran it through the still knotted stands at the back of my head, minding my brain-jack as I traced the small engraved butterflies on the handle with my thumb. While butterflies didn’t exist outside the Matrix, they had become renowned as a symbol of freedom in Zion. It had been a gift, technically, left in one of the baskets outside our apartment in Zion, the small note attached to it read only _‘For your lady-friend’_ in a child’s handwriting.

Three days later, when we’d left Zion last time, it had fallen from my bag as I’d stepped into the lift, and a child had plucked it up before I’d even registered that it was gone. She had fantastic red locks that curled to her waist, tied back in a high ponytail, and bright green eyes. She giggled as she offered it to me, and I noticed the lack of plugs on her arms.

“Do you like it?” She asked as I took it from her. I gripped it tightly in my right hand and pressed it to the cloth over my heart. Surprisingly for everyone who knew me, it had very quickly become one of my most treasured possessions.

“Yes. I try to keep it in the best condition I can. I don’t want to break it. It’s special to me, ya know? It’s not often people give me such beautiful things.” I smiled at her as gently as I was capable of, crouching down beside the girl. She stepped forward, and out of the blue, threw her arms around my throat.

“Do you like the pretty butterflies? I drew them the best I could, and Mummy made them even beautiful-er when she carved them!” She giggled again, letting of her noose-like grip go. She looked up at Neo behind me, beamed at him, and then grabbed my hand.

“You left this for me?” The realisation of who the girl was hit me hard and I gave her a rare, but genuine, smile. Talk about coincidence. She nodded her little head happily. “Thank you. It is beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you.” She whispered to me, before she grinned back at me “But don’t tell Neo I said so. He’ll go all Superman on me.”

“Sarcey!”

The little girl, who’s name was apparently Sarcey, raised her head and waved out over the crowd to the woman not to much older than myself across the walk way. They had the same bright red curls.

“Over here Mummy!” The young woman appeared at her side, and she seemed to relax the moment she recognised Neo. “I think I have to go now.” She pouted at me, batting her eyes at me sadly. “Goodbye Trinity.” She lent forward to peck me on the cheek. “Goodbye Neo.” She said seriously, offering him a hand. He shook it just as seriously, amusement bright in his eyes as she darted beck into the crowd with her mother.    

The door behind me opened, and my insides somersaulted as Neo stepped into our room. It wasn’t new, I was fairly certain my stomach did that every time I was near him if I bothered to keep track, but it normally wasn’t so violent - so _painful_. I set the hairbrush down on the small table beside me. He stepped into my personal space, arms going around my waist again to cover the worst of my scars where his warm skin pressed into mine, the rough fabric of his shirt scratching at my bare skin. He nuzzled his nose against my brain-jack.

“You okay?” He asked. It seemed to be the question of the day.

“Course I am.” I nodded. “Headache. I feel tempted to crack my head open on one of the walls, just to get rid of some of the pressure.” I pressed my head back into his sternum, letting my eyes close. It wasn’t exactly a lie. My head felt like it was splitting in half.

“Well we can’t have that, now can we?” He snorted into my ear, warm hands tracing the contours of my body, dropping random kisses on my neck and shoulders as he thumbed the top of the underclothes I’d mustered the energy to pull on. All that energy had drained from me now. “What on earth would I do without you?”

“Probably find yourself another virus to give your life destroying.” I offered distastefully, and he bit down on the top of my ear in a mock reprimand. _Replace me_ , My brain countered darkly, _with someone less scarred, less cold, more beautiful._ I turned in his hold, tucking myself into his arms as my vision blurred. He’d not see me cry.    

“Not funny, Trin.”

I shrugged, pushing at him lightly until he sat on the low, narrow bed and perched myself down beside him, before I pushed him down onto his back, following him. I nuzzled into his throat the best I could, attempting to get as close to him as possible, the cold dripping into me now that the heat from my shower had dissipated. I’d been content to fall asleep there and then, to hold and be held, surrounded in his warmth until morning, or my next shift, whichever came first, until he chose the moment to mutter an “I love you.” gently in my ear while he turned the pair of us onto our sides, and something inside me snapped.

Pushing down on the footboard with all the strength my freezing feet contained, it sprung me back up until I was the same height as Neo and I wrapped one of my legs around his hip as I dragged him closer to me, twisting my fingers through his hair, as I pulled his mouth down to mine. He kissed me back, twining his hands in my own hair and pulling sharply, an accident I was sure, as he gathered me closer to his chest, his mouth. He nudged at my shoulders until I turned to lie on my back under him on the lumpy mattress, arching off of it and up into him, whimpering into his mouth. I fought against the material of the three thin jumpers he’d pulled on to ward off the particularly chilly air this morning that now just seemed to be little more of a hindrance, scratching up his spine and plugs as I tried to rake the goddamn things off of him, then battle with his shirt; desperate to feel his warm skin against mine as his hands played across my skin, pulling my hips into his and locking my other leg around his waist as well. He groaned back against me and lifted himself away from me, perching himself on his elbows above me. I yelped humiliatingly, attempting to pull him back to me, but he let his head fall down onto my shoulder again.

“You quite alright, Trin?” He asked softly into my hair, concerned, and I reached out and whacked at him across the back.

“Fine, Goddamn you, Neo.” I grumbled, dropping my head back into the pillow beneath me, letting my eyes flutter closed momentarily. His eyebrows where raised at me when I opened them again. “I was _fine_ , until you stopped. What gives?” I hit him again, slightly harder this time, and bucked up against him. “Neo.”

He laughed into my skin again, and traced the path from my hip up to my ribcage. He kissed the aching points on my temple where the pain was slowly leaving me, before he brushed his lips lightly over my eyelids as they dropped closed again, against my wishes, lulled by the warmth of his body over mine.

“You’re shaking, Trinity.” He told me gently, worry coating his lowering voice. “It’s as if you where absolutely bloody freezing, but you’re no colder than you normally are. I thought you might be getting sick.” I rolled my eyes at him.

“I _am_ freezing.” I agreed, as if I could trick myself into believing that that was indeed the reason why I was shaking, and there could be no other alternate reasons behind the violent jolts that spanned through my body. “Isn’t that why you’re supposed to be warming me up?” He laughed, sinking down to kiss me again, only lightly, as if he was trying to piss me off. I could swear at times he did it on purpose.

“I hate you sometimes.” I told him softly, and he laughed at me again. I rolled my hips up into his again regardless, feeling his laugh transform into a grunt against me neck. “I really do.” I warned him, and he rolled his eyes, smiling down evilly at me. He knew, and I knew that he knew, that I would never mean it. Yet I pushed up again moments latter, kissing him gently and sneaking up to whimper an “I love you” into his ear again. And his hands came around to clutch at my shoulders, under my neck, and he dragged me back to kiss me. Again.

“I love you, Trinity.” He pulled away to tell me.

And I didn’t pull him down to kiss him again. I pulled him down to _devour_ him.

To die in him.


	3. Chapter 3

I fluttered my eyelashes, adjusting to the code, before I glanced down to look at whatever the hell it was that Link had put me in this time. We’d agreed before going in this time, to attempt at some kind of incognito style. Neo and Morpheus stood at my side, both dressed to the nines in black suits and ties. I recognised my dress with a small, coy smile. Last time I’d worn this, I’d stood in a dark bar, half informing and half seducing the flustered Mr. Tomas A Anderson. This time, there was the addition of the shinning gold belt, and a tight black bicker jacket over the top. Two _AMT Hardballer’s_ hung from the belt. I locked eyes with Neo, and his dark, uncovered eyes told me he recognised the dress as well. I bounced slightly on my toes, measuring my heels as they clicked on the concrete below me, and starred at my reflection in the darken window beside me, watching my hair bounce, un-gelled as it was. At least Link had the common sense to give me manageable heels this time.

“They are never going to let you in wearing that dress, Trinity.” Neo chose to remark lightly, and I shuffled slightly, tugging at the hem of my dress. “This is supposed to be a highly respectable restaurant, after all.” He was right. All my tugging barely managed to move the dress a couple of centimetres, and I daren’t tug it any further in fear of pulling the front down as well. I gave up, choosing to arrange the bust of the dress properly rather than the length.

“I don’t give a damn.” I shrugged, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. “And I they do, they can cram it up their-“

“Trinity.” Morpheus barked at me, and I dropped my gaze to the pathway for a moment. Being reprimanded by a commanding officer was nothing I took lightly, no matter how insignificant the warning had been.

“Yes Sir.” I answered on routine, lifting my chin.

“Okay, enough of that.” Morpheus hummed, straightening his back. “We’re just a few blocks down the road from the Hotel Le Meurice. I assume no one has a problem with walking there?” He asked, inclining his head slightly at me. I shook my head slightly, letting the corners of my mouth pull up. I’d have no need for my motorcycle here. “Let’s get going here.” I fell into step behind Morpheus, Neo on my right. Eventually, less than a block down the road, and I was already limping my heels, falling slightly behind. Goddamn heels.

When Morpheus pushed his way through the doors, all weapons tucked safely away, I straightened my back, making myself as tall as I could and pushed my sunglasses over my eyes. Directly in my peripheral vision, I watched Neo mimic me; Morpheus was never without his glasses in the Matrix. We marched passed the line of butch, uniformed doormen, all of who where, at a guess, at least three times my body mass. Their eyes burnt into me, on the hemline of my dress and my exposed décolletage. The one at the end, who was in front of us but who was also the furthest away, stepped forward.

“ _Arrêter_!” He bellowed, and then again in English. “Stop!”

“We want no trouble, Men.” Morpheus told them, both his hands raised in peace.

“We have business with one of your customers.” The man cocked his head at him, and his English was clearly limited. Morpheus turned his head to me.

“Trinity?”

“Yes, sir.” I said again as I nodded, slipping forward on the balls of my feet, attempting to quieten the horrid clicks that my heels created. Sneaking would clearly be impossible. It had been a while, but I had been near fluent in French while inside the Matrix, and the language still resided somewhere in my brain.

“ _Nous venons en paix._ ” I translated after a moment of pause, to fish the words from storage.  _“Nous avons affaire avec un de vos clients._ ” The doorman glared at me this time, understanding, but not agreeing. I could almost feel Neo’s eyes on me, normally on the back of my head, but his gaze did seem to stray a bit. 

“ _Inacceptable. Vous ne pouvez pas entrer. Pas habillée comme ça._ ” He barked at me.

“He doesn’t like the idea very much.” I told Morpheus with a chuckle, straying from the direct translation. I turned back to face them. “But it seems you were right Neo. They don’t seem to appreciate my fashion sense.”

“I don’t see how they couldn’t.” He muttered. Even with his eyes covered, I could recognise the darkness in them.

“Would you kindly tell them, Trinity,” Morpheus asked, ignoring Neo’s statement. “That we are going to see our friend, no matter what they say.”

“ _Vous n’avez pas le choix. Nous allons voir le Merovingian que cela vous plaise ou non._ ” I tried to make it come out as threatening as I could, but the French accent I found myself adopting automatically was too musical to hold any anger in it. When the row of men all reached for their gun slung over their back in a synchronism I had believed only belonged to the Agents inside the Matrix, my hands instantly twitched towards my own weapons and I knew without looking that Neo and Morpheus where doing the exact same.

“Don’t shoot! _Ne tirez pas!_ ”

The young French gentleman was completely unfamiliar to me, but when men dropped their guns instantly, I was instantly glad for his timely interruption. He was practically a child, with bleach-blonde hair and fantastic blue eyes and a happy, warm smile. He stepped forward to shake hands with Morpheus and then Neo.

“Ignore what the morons say; the Merovingian will see you, go right through.” He told him, waving his hand toward the door on our right. Morpheus nodded and started towards the opening, and the large, cropped haired man I’d been arguing with stepped forward, his gun drawn again and pointed at his back.

“Morpheus.” Neo called softly, alerting our captain and warning our mentor before he could take another step and get himself killed. I pulled my gun on the man before he’d even released the safety.

“ _Vous ne pensez pas même à ce sujet._ ” I growled lowly, targeting the barrel on his large forehead and he slipped the larger gun back onto his back. I dropped mine down to my side, but didn’t re-holster it. Holding his gaze for only a moment longer, I dropped it to look at the young man. He clearly, from the tailored suit, worked closely with the Merovingian. He smiled reassuringly, and gave us his word that the men would be ‘suitably dealt with’. We didn’t bother to ask what he meant as he ushered us through the archway. The Merovingian was waiting for us.

Sat at the large table at the back with his almost fake aura of tranquillity, the Frenchman played out the exact parody of the way we had first met him, complete with goons on either side of him. Persephone sat at his side, sipping at a glass of rosé wine.

“Ah, Neo!” He called, and his lips pulled up in an imitation of a smile. I grimaced. He had been waiting for us, which meant that he’d had time to think of what he was going to ask for in return. So much for having the advantage. “Morpheus!” The Merovingian grinned, reaching out to shake his hand as he sat at the table opposite him. He offered me a tight smile. “And the beautiful Trinity. You do look so fantastically ravishing tonight. Doesn’t she Neo? The little tease – I wonder, how hard has it been for you to stop yourself jumping on her since the moment you saw her and that… _séduisant_ little dress?” He grinned, turning his eyes to Neo’s immaculately unemotional face. He waved a hand at Persephone beside him, sat frozen in her tight, red, leather dress. “How would you feel about a swap?” My eyes widened, and I starred down at the other woman. She looked up at me, her pale features saddened, but out of her husband’s sight.

“Not on your life.” I growled again.

“I do not believe,” The Merovingian glared at me. “That I was asking for your opinion.” I jerked my head back, put out. Quirking an eyebrow up, I opened my mouth to offer an insulting, preferably French, comeback, when Neo bet me to it.

“She’s a person, a person who you are talking about; I believe that her opinion is practically vital.” He turned to glance at Morpheus, then back to the Merovingian. “This is not why we’re here.”

“I know that.” The French man laughed, settling an arm around Persephone’s shoulders. She tensed, her dark eyes locking with mine, before she looked away, her eyes misting. I could read her reaction like Neo read the code; the embrace wasn’t real, it was simply a ploy, a trick, to kid the passersby to the state of their marriage. We knew better. If I didn’t know any differently, I’d almost pity her. “Still, it is amusing to watch you squirm.” I rolled my eyes behind my glasses again. Stupid dickhead.

“Then no,” Neo frowned at the man sat opposite us, his raised eyebrows mimicking mine again. “I don’t share.” I kicked his shin lightly, my insides twisting. Sharing wasn’t exactly my favourite past times either. “ _Votre perte._ ”

“Couldn’t we…” Morpheus trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence before the Merovingian waved an arm at the chairs facing him. Neo and Morpheus sunk down simultaneously, Morpheus slightly ahead of Neo. I chose to remain standing.

“Trinity? Would you care to explain?” I stared down at Morpheus, shocked, but nodded. That was something I could do.“You may attempt to... persuade me.” The Merovingian drawled, a small, self satisfied smile stretching across his thin lips. I would have glared at him, if I hadn’t already been glaring.

“We’re not here talk to you.” I told him flatly, and as much as I wanted to marvel at his shocked, ugly face, instead I turned, swinging myself up to plonk myself on the table in front of his wife. I saw Neo roll his eyes at me from the corner of my eye. It was my way of rebelling, and he knew it. If I didn’t agree with something, oh say… the overly posh and snotty rules of an expensive restaurant, I’d never been one to make an outcry, I just caused a fuss in the easiest way possible. I bumped my foot gently against his calf. He gripped loosely at my ankle.

“We need your help.” I told the woman in front of me. Her eyes opened comically, as did those of her husband.

“Me?” She asked, righting the position of her jaw.

“Her?” The Merovingian spluttered. I nodded.

“Her.” I shrugged my way out of my jacket, my weapons and shoulder blades on full show to the entire restaurant. I handed it over to Persephone, who slipped it on over her lighter dress. My peace offering. I slipped off of the table and tilted my head at her.

“Why don’t we go somewhere a little… quieter?” I asked into the silence room. She stood to follow us, and I raised a hand when the Merovingian stood to follow. “Not you.” His eyes widened in surprise.

“Pardon?” He blinked at me slowly, stepping around the table to stand as close to me as he dared. Neo bolted to his feet and slipped into place, half beside half behind me, ready to defend me if he had to. The lovable sod.

“You heard me.” I stared him down, almost a head shorter than him. “Why don’t you go and find one of your whores to go mess around with?” I turned to Persephone, and offered her one of my bare hands. She tucked her hand into my elbow, and imagining she was Zee, I lead her from the room with a hand on her back, like two childhood friends. Back in the lobby - which had a distinct lack of tall, threatening, cropped haired security guards – she tugged her hands out of my grip and stepped off toward the lift, holding her head high. With a raised eyebrow aimed at Morpheus and Neo, I followed after her. Neo caught my arm, and I dropped back, letting Morpheus step into the lift ahead of us.

“You speak French?” He faux whispered in my ear, and I nodded slightly, keeping Morpheus and Persephone in my line of sight.

“And this surprises you, why? Because I didn’t tell you? When was I going to work it in? ‘Oh look, Agents are coming at us and the hard-line has been cut, and, oh, by the way Neo, did I tell you I speak French?’” I snapped, craning my neck. Neo shrugged.

“No. I don’t know,” He muttered gently, his voice low and grave and sad, and I snapped my head up to look at him. I hated that voice sometimes. It was the ‘I am sorry I’m bugging you, Trin, but I’m still young and clueless and venerable in this world and if you leave me now something bad is going to happen to me and you don’t want that now do you and have I told you recently that I love you very much?’ voice. “It was just a surprise. I wasn’t surprised that you didn’t tell me. You’re entitled to secrets, Trin.” I cringed, and after letting my eyes dart to Morpheus and Persephone, who where waiting for the impossibly slow lift to goddamn reach us, I tugged lightly at his coat. Entitled to secrets? I had one very large one that I wished I’d forget. Eating away at my insides. And I pulled him closer sharply, pressing up on my high shoes to kiss him lightly.

“ _Je t’aime._ ” I laughed softly.

“Okay,” Neo muttered, scoping my hand up in his as he pulled me towards the opening lift. 10 floors, I laughed gently, you’d think that the bloody lift would take longer. He tugged at my arm, wrapping an arm around my waist to talk into my hair. I squirmed out of his grip. “You’re going to have to stop doing that.”

“ _Pourquoi? Chaud et la peine sommes-nous?_ ” I laughed, picking up my speed as Morpheus turned to hold the life for us.

“You know I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying, don’t you?” He asked as we stepped into the lift with the other two. I stood as tall as I could, as straight as possible, and my cold exterior went up, to kept the people I didn’t want in out.

“Yes.”

Of course, the ride was quiet, deadly silent, and I made to keep it that way. I stuck my chin up, staring unbrokenly at the door in front of me until, finally, Persephone turned to me, her hand reaching out to touch me. She finally settled it on my arm.

“I feel as though I should thank you.” She whispered softly, and she spoke mainly to the floor. “For what you said to him. Although you do have a history of standing up to my husband, don’t you?” I tilted my head, and blinked my eyes slowly. I didn’t bother to move her warm hand from my skin. I knew that she’d move it eventually.

“What history?” Neo asked, glancing between the pair of us. I noticed more than once, his eyes dropping to her skin on mine. He knew my hatred of being touched randomly, especially by people I didn’t like. He’d spent weeks panicking that I’d hit him every time he brushed past me, once Mouse made the mistake of telling him, so young as they were.

“You did not tell him?” The French woman asked softly, squeezing down on my arm. Her hand burnt like a flame against my unusually bare skin, and my heart constricted; had she been this warm under Neo’s equally warm flesh, when she’d wormed a kiss from him? I turned my gaze to her. As much as I hated to admit it, she was smart enough to work out my answer. She turned to Neo.

“You’re sweetheart can be quite persuasive when she wants to be.” She told him, a smile in her eyes. “But then again I suppose that anyone who has the nerve to call my husband ‘Merv’ will get what they want in the end.” Neo’s eyes darted to mine.

“Seriously?”

I didn’t bother to rely, too busy focusing on keeping the smile of my face.

“This floor.” She cooed, turning simultaneously with the door opening, as if she was a part of it. Stupid analogy, I told myself, seeing as though she technically was. We followed her into, what I was sure was the penthouse suite. “Sorry about the mess. It’s a disgusting room this one.” I looked around, half scanning for exits on instinct, half looking for any sign of mess or anything ‘disgusting’. It had to be the fanciest room I’d ever been in, the cleanest and probably the most expensive too. Funny what the overly wealthy called disgusting.

“I suppose,” She drawled. “That we should discuss what it is you want from me, rather than me spending the whole night congratulating you, Trin.” I raised an eyebrow at the woman. Who the hell did she think she was? I’d never been a large fan of the name, I’d hit Cypher more than once for it but the bastard had insisted on using the goddamn nickname. Neo didn’t use it that often, and I could bare it coming from him. But from Persephone? No. Just… no. I glanced at Morpheus, who waved a hand out in front of him. Apparently the floor was still mine.

“You have a sister, don’t you?” I watched her face closely as she dropped into the sofa behind her, folding her legs delicately over each other. She seemed completely unaffected by the new, or that we - I knew it. Neo stared at me, wide eyed.

“Helen? Yes.” She laughed, leaning back into her seat as she picked under her manicured nails. She seemed completely uninterested. She smiled slightly, looking up at me. “Ah, don’t tell me. The fortune teller told you she can help you destroy Subjugation? Of course.”

“Subjugation?” Neo echoed, smirking slightly. “Is this the guy we’re taking down? Somebody doesn’t seem very creative.” I rolled my eyes fondly behind my sunglasses. The dense idiot. Persephone copied me.

“No,” She told him slowly, as if she was talking to a child. I caught Morpheus’ amused gaze, and quirked the corner of my mouth up at him. He smiled back at me slyly. He would never get enough of his part-son-part-brother’s naivety either. “But it describes him accurately.”

“Can she help us?” I crossed my arms over my chest, fed up of her already.

“Of course she can, those people in my family are what you might call… gifted. I suppose you might want me to take you to see her, don’t you?” Gifted was one word to describe Persephone, I supposed. I watched Morpheus nod from the corner of my eyes. Apparently I was still lead spokesman today.

“If you will.”

Persephone nodded and stood, pulling a small silver key out of her cleavage. I met Neo’s gaze knowingly, and he rolled his eyes at me. Where would we be going this time? I trailed my hands over my hair, brushing it back into its correct position as we watched her slide it into the lock of the closed front door. When she pushed it open as dramatically as she could, the drama queen, and the dark hallway was suddenly bathed in light, the yellow walls where a vibrant blue. I stepped through, smiling slightly, imagining Link cursing us as our code disappeared on his monitors.

“ _Bienvenue chez moi._ ” Our guide called, spreading her arms wide to gesture around the corridor. Framed works of art lined the walls and the ceilings were high and grand, but it was not the sort of place that I would ever have guessed it to have been a place Persephone would have lived in. It didn’t seem… feminine enough, to be hers.

“You live here?” I asked, sliding the glasses from my face to get a better look at the house. No, I realised rather stupidly, of course it wasn’t a house. The place was a goddamn mansion. “You and the Merovingian?”

“But of course we do.” Persephone laughed slightly as she turned to face us. “What did you expect? Something smaller?” She turned to me and the smile fell from her face as she stared at me, scrutinising me.

“What?” I demanded, already pissed off with her lingering gazes and the darkness in her already dark eyes. I wondered momentarily if she was still envious of me. She shook her head.

“I did not expect you to have blue eyes. I had imagined them to be green, or a shade of hazel perhaps, but never blue...” She told me, stepping closer. “I always knew that you where pretty, Trinity, but I never knew you would be so beautiful.” I recoiled my head, thoroughly confused. “I wondered what my husband saw when he looked at you - the interest he held for you was misplaced, as far as I was concerned. You must forgive my obnoxiousness, for I had believed that I was far more beautiful than you. I believe that I may have only been trying to convince myself that there was a part of my husband that still wanted me.” She laid a hand on my right upper arm, and I shoved her off immediately this time.

“Don’t touch me.” I snarled at her, red flaring behind my eyes. My hand curled into a fist instinctively as my nerve endings on my arm screamed at me; she had pulled her nails over my skin and left behind four ice white tracks on my arm. Morpheus’ hand settled on this inside of the same elbow lightly, and he shook his head at me. I was doing the talking today, it seemed, so that Morpheus could further concentrate on keeping my emotions under control. Stupid girl, Trinity, I told myself. How egocentric can you be? I forced my elbow out of his hand.

“Which way, Persephone?” He asked and she spared him a smile. She stared towards the left, and Morpheus followed her, sparing me a glance as he left my side. Neo stepped up beside me as I set off after them. His trailed warm fingers down my arm as he tugged me close into his side. He handed my glasses to me, picked up from where I’d dropped them.

“Is something wrong?” He whispered gently, glancing at me through the side of his own sunglasses. I shook my head slightly, clutching tightly at mine until I thought I was going to snap them. “Trin? What’s bothering you?” There was that goddamn name again.

“Nothing’s wrong, Neo. My God, I’m fine!”

“Alright, fine, okay! Not pushing!” He held his hands up and away from me. “You putting them on then?” He nodded down to my glasses in my hands. I slipped them on.

“Happy now?” I huffed and he smiled at me slightly.

“Immensely.” I rolled my eyes at him. I walked behind Morpheus and Persephone as we twisted through the corridors, memorizing the turns in case of an emergency later. I was half inclined to shove Neo up in front as well and to walk where I was supposed to be, where I belonged, behind them. Morpheus was our Captain, and Neo our saviour. And Persephone… well Persephone technically belonged up there with the hot shots, as one of the unstoppable programs even I’d never take on. I was funny how I never felt more inferior than when I walked at Neo’s side. Neo clicked his tongue once, and then again a few moments later.

“What?” I asked him eventually, several clicks later. He turned to me, wide eyed behind his black lenses.

“What what?” I clenched my teeth.

“Neo.”

“Okay, sorry!” He snorted, clearly amusing himself with my anger. Only in the Matrix did he enjoy pissing me off, where I could empty an entire clip at him and tear the cloths from him like paper, in that order. It was rarer now then ever, when every moment he was petrified of the possibility of the Neb II falling, of shrapnel and his hands coated in blood that wasn’t his, of repeats, and was afraid of what I’d do to him back in our world.

“What happened back there then?”

“Nothing. You know I hate being touched.” I shrugged, waving him away. With a small smile, he trailed the back of his hand down the small of my back, trying – and succeeding - to prove me wrong. I shivered, and shoved him away from me but he recoiled like yo-yo, slinking his hands around me. I growled, low in my throat, not irritated but amused. Bloody Neo.

The loud shrill shriek of one of our phones rang through the air without warning, but only Neo and Persephone showed any surprise at the sudden noise, Morpheus didn’t even flinch, as far as I could see behind his glasses, and I’d trained my reflexes years back, determined to never let any Agents see any of my emotions. Both Neo and Morpheus checked theirs while I reached into non existent pockets for my own. Persephone threw the ringing phone to me, pulled from my jacket, still tightly wrapped around her narrow shoulders. I regretted the kind gesture more than ever when she grinned smugly at me. I turned my back on her, waving the rest away as I flicked the phone open.

“Talk to me, Link.” I told him, leaning back on the wall as I waved Neo away single handily. He trotted after Morpheus and Persephone like an obedient puppy, his hair sticking out in all directions, making him look just as fluffy as aforementioned puppy. He fell into set just behind them, and looked back over his shoulder at me. I flicked my hand at him and he turned around again.

“You pair are sweet enough to give me cavities, you know that don’t you?” He laughed as I watched them turn right at the intersecting corridor. I didn’t need to know which way they were going – Link would tell me that. I rolled my eyes.

“Is that what you called me to tell me Link?” I huffed.

“Nah, I actually have a purpose for this call.” He laughed happily. I’d never heard of a happier operator than Link could be. “Why? Did I scare you?”

“Of course not.” I chuckled slightly, I’d not been afraid to let Link hear me laugh for years. I’d known him, Tank, Dozer, Cas and Zee since long before I’d joined the first Nebuchadnezzar all those years ago.

“Don’t lie. I saw your heart jump, Trinity.”

“That wasn’t you, Link.” I lied. “I doubt you’ll ever be able to make my heart jump the same way Neo does.” I snorted while Link choked on whatever the hell it was that he was drinking; water or Dozer’s acid-like excuse for alcohol.

“Was that necessary?” He gasped eventually, his choughs softening. “Not that I particularly mind, hearing about your sex life, Trinity, but you could give a guy some warning! Or, ya know alternatively, tell me when I ask!” I shook my head, knowing that Link was watching me.

“I’m never telling you anything, you know that right?”

“Course I do.” I snorted again, and finally satisfied with the distance between me and the rest of my rag-tag group, I followed at a slow pace, limping on my right leg slightly in my heels. It was clear which leg I carried most of my weight on.

“Actually, that’s what I’m calling about.” Link snorted through the phone as I turned the right corner.

“My sex life?”

“No!” Link laughed at me. “Your limp! God, got it on the brain today, huh Trinity?” I stood as straight as I could, pulling my self up to my highest and forced my weight over on to my hurting side, carrying myself the way I always did. Or at least, how I thought I always did.

“I’m not limping.” I argued.

“Course not.” I could practically hear him roll his eyes. “But I’ve got your – turn left here – I’ve got your suit here if you want it.” He snorted to himself. “And it comes with practical heels as well!”

“Shut up.” I told him firmly, opening my mouth to tell him to upload it for me. But my vocal cords froze up. Did I want really the cat suit back? The dress wasn’t as comfortable as the cat suit was, not that the cat suit actually was all that comfortable itself, but the dress certainly looked better. I almost physically smacked myself in the head – what the hell did I care for? I’d never been that girl before. Or I had… My RSI was made to impress, to seduce, to be watched. I refused to admit that I’d blushed when Neo had called me out on it several months before our trip to 0-1. Well, I’d huffed as I smacked his pawing hands off of me, doesn’t every girl want people to look at her when she believed she looked nice – without plugs? I’m not sorry if that offends you – since you’re so obviously immune to it. He’d scoffed, jokingly calling me vain as he left a wet trail of kisses down my neck from behind my ear, pulling me into his frame tightly. And I’d forgotten it all, never mentioned it again, never doubted it again.

But yet… we were going to see Helen…

“Trinity?”

“Sorry,” I frowned as I rubbed at my eyelids to get rid of the pressure that was slowly growing there, before I did something I’d never, ever even thought of doing before all this crap began. “What do you think?”

“Hang on.” Link hummed through the phone. “This must be a bad connection – it sounded like you were asking my opinion.”

“I was.” I told him quietly, dragging my right shoulder on the wall beside me, taking my weight off my leg. There was a reason to why I never wore heels in the Matrix, and an even better reason why I didn’t wear them outside. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that, it was a stupid question.” I winced.

“It’s fine.” He told me gently. I knew that he’d have a hand on my shoulder if I was actually conscious. “Personally? And don’t you dare tell Neo I said this: the dress is hot, but the suit just screams ‘I’m in control’. That’s who you are, Trinity.”

“Great.” I sighed. In control was the one thing I wasn’t at the minuet. “I’m in control going into a room with the Sirens. That’s the definition of control.” If there was one thing that I was good at, it was sarcasm.

“You’re fine.” I could hear typing through the phone and wondered for a moment what he was hacking. I didn’t have to wait long to find out. “I think I have the perfect thing for you. Oh you might want to turn left here.” I did.

I felt the change through the code around me as I pulled my weight off of the wall, felt the cold, assumedly French, wind on my spine and felt the tightness on my wrists and at my throat. “Okay, now take a look.”

I found the closest mirror I could, throwing open random doors until I found a bedroom with one I deemed large enough, bouncing on the tips of my toes, my phone clutched in my hand tightly as I pushed myself faster. Most of my pale skin was covered, all the way from high on my throat to my ankles, even to halfway across the back of my hands; the black leather was moulded to me like a second skin. The boots weren’t flat, per say, but they where the same as what I normally wore with a thick heel rather than some thin, snap-able thing, and they where taller, tight around my calves and biting into my knees as I moved. And yet, from the very bottom of my back to over the top of my shoulder blades was bare, bare and freezing. I rolled my shoulders, feeling the leather dig into the skin around the tops of my arms. It looked… different. I couldn’t tell if different was a good thing or not nowadays.

“I like it.” I told him as convincingly as I could. Bare skin was a risk, but I was good and while I couldn’t stop bullets, I was faster than anyone on our team, and there was nothing like a little danger to keep the pulse racing. Ironically, there was nothing like being shot at to make you feel alive.

“Good.” Link laughed. “Now hurry up, before they go in without you.”

“Don’t order me around Private, that’s my job.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I rolled my eyes and let myself out of the room, jogging around the corners in the directions the operator called into my ear. He hung up abruptly after telling me to take yet another right, and I pocketed the phone, knowing they’d be waiting for me around the next corner. That was how Link worked. I stroked my hands threw my fluffed up hair, pushed at the bridge of my sunglasses to make sure that they were on properly and, more importantly, that they were still there; I never did notice if I dropped them, despite the colour changes the room went through. I brushed imaginary dirt from my shoulders and fiddled momentarily with the line of leather, tracing it down my side, from under my arm to my hip, where it began to curl towards my tailbone. The skin beneath was cold and clammy, even to me. God the outfit was totally ridiculous, I decided, and my insides churned. Do what you always do; blame it on Link if it all goes wrong, I smiled to myself.

I turned that corner with a light head and Neo, Morpheus and Persephone where waiting for me. Wearing three identical looks, all with different thoughts behind them. Morpheus looked amused, his small smile was completely genuine and he made me feel like the well loved daughter I’d never been. He didn’t mind waiting for me, and I knew that not only had he noticed it when I’d been limping, but also that I wasn’t now. I can’t have my best fighter struggling to even walk if we run into… anything that could be in there. I could almost hear him say it. Persephone was judging me. There was no other way to say it, the look in her eye as she scanned me up and down, and her raised eyebrow had an unimpressed quality to it. I noticed, with no small amount of satisfaction, that my jacket was gone from her shoulders.

And, well, Neo…

“So that’s why Link called.” He remarked, and I shrugged.

“This is far more practical than that flimsy piece of crap. Mostly. It’s easier to fight in, at any rate.” I raised a finger to point at the large, wooden double doors at their backs. It was heavily decorated, with beautiful carvings of flowers and leaves and apparently random dashes of colour here and there, and a dark mahogany, as far as I knew. Claiming to be a wood expert was something I would never do. “She through there?”

“Yes.” Persephone answered me, as she reached out to put a hand on the door handle. “I should warm you, in return for how you helped me with my husband earlier; my sister can be a bit… full on.” Understatement. Even if the Oracle was wrong, and she never was, Helen was Persephone’s sister. She was going to be full on, infatuation or not. I was severely hoping for the ‘not’. With one firm shove, the large door was forced open, with an echoing creak. I rolled my eyes. Where were we, in the middle of a horror movie?

Sitting on a small, delicate stool covered with even more intricate engravings than the door, until it looked like the legs where too thin to support the small weight that was balanced on it, the beauty of a woman who turned to us was most certainly Helen. She was tanned, a rich honey colour, so she looked like she’d spent such a great deal of time in the tropical sun, not in cold, wet France. Her hair was a mass of tight corkscrew curls, some of which had been pulled up onto the top of her head, while the rest spiralled down her back, coming to rest against her lower spine. She sat at a large vanity mirror, but as she turned to us she smiled, setting down the large make-up brush that I was fairly certain was for applying blush. Not that she needed the fake stuff. Her plump, red painted lips pulled tight over her teeth as they shone in the light, and I ran my tongue over the front of my own teeth, feeling the small lumps where they were set slightly out of place of perfection as I examined her small and dainty nose. She stood, approaching us, and her long chiffon pink dress followed her like a small cloud. And when she came closer, I could finally make out the colour of her eyes. They were such a bright intense shade, and I was certain that if I hadn’t spent the last I-wish-it-could-have-been-longer staring at Neo’s big pretty eyes, that they would have been the most beautiful shade of brown I had ever seen.

“Persephone.” She cooed, coming close enough to embrace her sister, before she turned to us, “Have you brought me some new friends, sister dearest?” Her voice ran like bells. It was both haunting and beautiful, with underlying tones that where just plain annoying. But I couldn’t be sure if that was just me or not.

She was my exact opposite.

“Yes. Of course I have, my baby sister.” Persephone laughed happily. It was official - ten words. She’d said ten words, and batted her eyelashes at us a little. That was it. And I hated her already.

I turned to Neo, mouth opened with some smart-arsed comment about to drip off my tongue like mouton silver, when the words froze in my mouth. He was staring at this new girl, glasses in one hand, the other offered to her, halfway between loose jawed and smiling. Someone had their hand in my chest again, grabbing at my heart the way Neo had, but they where gripping far too tightly, crushing me and blocking my airways at the same time, rather than reviving me. I knew that look, that smile. Remembered it from the months on the Neb I, before I’d even admitted to myself that I was in love, when he was curious, eager to learn, doting. He was fascinated, starting to fall. It had taken weeks for him to look at me like that, and I’d thought that was fast.

He’d known her for fifty-five seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So I give you full permission to hate me for both how long this took, and how bad it is.   
> The French is all from Google Translate, so let me know if its wrong.  
> It goes like this.  
> "Arrêter!" - "Stop!"  
> “Nous venons en paix." - "We come in peace"  
> "Nous avons affaire avec un de vos clients" - "We are dealing with one of your customers"  
> "Inacceptable. Vous ne pouvez pas entrer. Pas habillée comme ça." - "Unacceptable. You can not enter. Not dressed like that."  
> "Vous n’avez pas le choix. Nous allons voir le Merovingian que cela vous plaise ou non." - "You do not have a choice. We'll see the Merovingian whether you like it or nor."  
> "Ne tirez pas!" - "Do not shoot!"  
> "Vous ne pensez pas même à ce sujet." - "Don't even think of it."  
> "séduisant" - "seductive"  
> "Votre perte." - "Your lose.  
> "Je t’aime." - "I love you."  
> "Pourquoi? Chaud et la peine, sommes-nous?" - "Why? Hot and bothered, are we?"  
> "Bienvenue chez moi." - "Welcome to my home."


End file.
